Swamp Creature
by ChristyK
Summary: The Winchesters investigate a creature that lives in the Everglades
1. Chapter 1

**Swamp Creature**

"Well here we are." Dean said as he pulled over to the shoulder of the road and stopped. "Everglades National Park." He read the sign then looked at Sam. "This place is huge; the odds of finding anything out here are like a million to one. Does the paper give you any idea where the people disappeared?"

Sam opened the newspaper and looked at it. "All it says is six people have gone missing from the swamp in the last two months. A girlfriend of one of the missing men says, and I quote 'I heard a noise in the middle of the night and woke up to find this huge scaly creature standing over me. I screamed and it sprayed some kind of liquid from its mouth into my eyes and blinded me. It was horrible, I could hear my boyfriend screaming as it ripped him apart but I couldn't help him. I don't know why it didn't kill me but after about two days my sight came back and my boyfriend was no where in sight.' Sam put his arm on the back of the seat and looked over at Dean. "Of course then it goes on to say the girl was hysterical when found and probably hallucinated the whole creature thing. They closed the park for a few days while they investigated but found nothing. They came to the conclusion that the people became lost in the swamp and were eventually killed and eaten by alligators...Actually that could be true, like you said this place is huge and if you get lost in there it would be almost impossible to find your way out."

"Yeah but six people in two months that seems a little high."

"Yeah…What do you think, you want to check it out?"

"Well we're here, might as well…Did you find anything in Dad's journal about any odd happenings in the Everglades?"

Sam had been looking through their dad's journal as Dean drove.

"Not much. All I could find is that there were sightings of a creature in the swamp but no verifications. Dad never ran into it."

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to look into it. Might as well drive over to the ranger station and pick up some supplies."

They drove to the ranger station and picked up supplies for the trip then rented an air boat whose motor sat high in the back of the boat enabling it to get through the thick swamp without clogging the motor. They were given the usual warnings of what not to do in the swamp and both signed an agreement that if anything happened to them the park was not held liable.

**The Everglades**

Dean drove while Sam sat in the front of the boat scanning the area for any sign of the creature. He could hear Dean laughing as he swatted at the swarms of mosquitoes that kept landing on his arms and neck.

"Here." Dean said as he tossed Sam a can of bug spray.

He gratefully grabbed it and began spraying his entire body with the contents. He then tossed it back to Dean who stuck it in his duffle bag. At first Dean had enjoyed watching Sam squirm around from the bug bites but then realized the bites could actually be dangerous and as much as he enjoyed watching Sam swat at the bugs, it wasn't worth his brother getting sick from the bites. He had bought five cans of spray on the advice of one of the rangers. Sam had been checking out the air boat and hadn't heard the ranger suggesting the spray but Dean figured five cans should last them at least a few days.

"Dean." Sam turned around and looked at his brother. "Over there." He pointed to a small camping area that was on the map he had picked up back at the station. Most of the Everglades were covered in deep swampy water but there were a few pieces of ground where you could pitch a tent. Dean steered the boat over to the small island and Sam jumped out and tied it to a tree. He then helped Dean unload the boat, then they both stood side by side looking out over the swamp.

"Give me dry land and cool weather anytime…this is so going to suck." Dean said as he wiped the sweat from his face with his t shirt.

Sam followed his brother's example and also wiped the sweat from his face.

"I'd do anything for an air conditioned room right now." He said then jumped back a few steps when a large spider crawled in front of him.

Dean gave a little laugh. "Geek boy can go after demons and monsters but is afraid of a little spider." He knew his brother always had a thing for spiders, he hated them.

"Little! That thing is gigantic!" Sam's face showed his fear. The thought of sleeping on the ground with spiders crawling all over him didn't make him happy. "Maybe I'll sleep in the boat tonight." He said looking over at Dean.

"Sam, spiders can get in the boat just as easily as getting in the tent."

"Not if I push it a little ways out into the swamp. They're not going to swim over to me."

"Sam there are spiders down here that glide across the water. There is no where you're going to be safe from spiders….not out here." He gave a little laugh but then felt a twinge of guilt when he saw his brother's face. He remembered when they were little and Sam had fallen into a nest of spiders in a pit, he had nightmares for years. "Look Sam we'll spray the tent, hopefully that will keep them away."

Sam swallowed hard as he watched the spider run off into the weeds.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews; I hope you enjoy the story.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter two

They set up the campsite then sat by the swamp fishing hoping to catch their dinner.

"If there is a creature I wonder what attracts it?" Dean asked as he tossed his line into the water.

"I don't know but they said we shouldn't leave any meat lying around because of the alligators."

"Yeah, I'm not up on alligator wrestling." Dean smiled.

"You know Dean if these gators come into camp at night…"

"Hold on." Dean said as he put his pole down then walked over to his bag and took something out then walked back to Sam and held it up.

"Bells?"

"Yeah bells." Dean said proudly. "We string these around our campsite and if anything comes our way…" Dean shook the bells. "They'll wake us up."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I was always the smart one Sam."

"You could have fooled me." Sam suddenly lunged toward the fishing pole Dean had put down when he had walked away. "You got something!"

Dean threw the bells down and grabbed the pole; he then reeled in his catch.

"Well look at that!" Dean said as he held up the large fish. "I guess one of us will be eating tonight."

Sam watched as Dean walked away whistling as he unhooked his fish. When he looked back at the swamp his eyes widened in fear. A large alligator had followed the fish back to the shore and now stood only a few feet from him.

"Dean…" Sam said softly.

"Yeah." Dean stood with his back to Sam admiring his fish.

"Umm…we got company." Sam didn't move he knew the slightest movement could cause the alligator to attack.

Dean glanced back then spun around and tossed his pole to the ground.

"Don't move Sammy." He tried to keep his voice calm but his heart was pounding in his chest. He knew one wrong move and the thing could attack.

"Don't worry I'm not intending to." Sam swallowed hard as he tried to stay perfectly still. He fought the urge to run; he knew the thing would be on him before he could even get up. "What are you going to do?"

"Trust me." Dean wasn't sure what he was going to do, he had a gun but it was back in the tent and by the time he got to it the alligator might attack. He saw some stones laying a short distance away and an idea popped into his head.

"Dean do something!" Sam said as the alligator slowly began moving closer.

Dean slowly side stepped toward the stones as he kept his eyes on the alligator.

"When I tell you to…get up and run."

"What?" Sam knew as soon as he'd try to stand up the thing would go for him.

"Sammy listen to me….When I tell you to move…move." Dean reached down and picked up a handful of stones. "Get ready…." Dean hesitated, he knew if this didn't work the alligator might go for Sam and if it dragged him into the water there would be little he could do except watch his brother die. "Okay Sam on the count of three…one…two…" Dean tossed the stones into the swamp. "Three!"

The alligator, hearing the splashes as the stones hit the water, spun its head toward the swamp. Sam took that moment to jump up and run over to Dean. They watched as the alligator headed into the water to investigate the noise.

"That was close…I thought I was going to be that things dinner."

Dean laughed.

"Well it would have been interesting to see exactly how they do the death roll thing, you know how they drag their prey in the water and spin…."

"Yeah I know." Sam interrupted him. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Well its Winchesters one, alligators nothing. Let's try to keep it that way." Dean said as he patted Sam on the back and went back over to his fish. When he was out of Sam's sight Dean breathed a sigh of relief. He'd never let Sam know it but he had been terrified when he saw the alligator heading toward his brother. He knew he would sacrifice his own life in order to protect his baby brother but he'd never let Sam know that, it would be way too girlie. But he knew he'd make sure he was the one sleeping closest to the tent flap just in case. He looked over at Sam who stood staring out into the swamp where the alligator had disappeared.

"Hey Sam… you going to stand there all night or get over here and help me clean this thing?"

Sam walked over then took one glance back at the swamp wondering what else might be out there waiting to attack them.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate each of them.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter three

The brothers spent a restless night as they listened to the sound of the swamp. Between the sounds of the frogs, crickets and alligators grunting all night they got little sleep, each one expecting to hear the bells ring as an alligator ventured into their camp. The next morning they sat around their campfire heating some canned food that they had bought back at the small store next to the ranger station.

"And people do this for fun…" Dean said as he stirred the mixture while Sam stood up and stretched.

"How can anyone camp out here for fun? If the humidity doesn't kill you the bugs or alligators will." Sam yawned then looked over at Dean. "…or snakes. Dean don't move." Sam took a step back as he looked at the large snake curled up near Dean's leg.

Dean froze to the spot but looked up at Sam.

"What?" He said his eyes wide wondering what Sam was looking at.

"Just don't move." He looked around for anything he could use to flip the snake away from Dean. He finally saw a long stick behind the tent and slowly walked over and picked it up. "Now just hold still." He said as he positioned the stick under the snake. He had just started to pick the snake up when Dean glanced back and inadvertently moved his leg causing the snake to strike him right above his knee.

"Owww!" Dean yelped as he jumped away. He frantically began pulling down his pants to see where the snake had bit him.

When Dean cried out Sam dropped the snake and was about to beat it to death with the thick end of the stick when he stopped and looked over at Dean who had a panic look on his face. His pants were down around his ankles and he was hopping around on one foot holding the other leg up trying to see where the snake had bit him.

"What the hell are you looking at? Kill it!" Dean shouted as he lost his balance and fell into the swamp.

Sam doubled over and roared with laughter as he walked over and offered Dean his hand.

"What's so damn funny?" Dean asked as he grabbed Sam's hand.

"It's not poisonous Dean. Once I got close enough to it I recognized it. It's a harmless black snake."

"Real funny jerk." Dean yanked hard and pulled Sam into the swamp with him. Both of them crawled out covered in mud.

"Oh that was smart! Now we're both covered in crap!" Sam said looking down at his mud soaked body.

"Well it's your fault!"

"My fault? Why is it my fault? I didn't throw you in there."

"Yeah …but you didn't try to stop me."

"How the hell was I suppose to stop you? You're hopping all over the place like an idiot."

"Well what did you want me to do? I got bit by a snake!"

Sam started laughing again.

"You should have seen your face….Damn I wish I had a camera."

"Yeah it's real funny geek jerk." Dean said as he stormed off to the tent to change.

**Later**

After changing they washed the mud off of their clothes the best they could being careful to keep an eye out for alligators then decided to drive the boat around and see if they could spot anything.

"So how long do we stay at one campsite?" Sam asked.

"I figured maybe two nights at each site. Then we'll move further back into the swamp."

Sam looked around.

"I can see where someone could get completely turned around in here. Just make one wrong turn and you're lost."

"Yeah I know." Dean also looked around. "It all looks the same."

"You know Dean maybe there isn't a creature out there, maybe these people really did just get lost. I can see how that could happen. You make one wrong turn out here and you could go around in circles forever and never find your way out."

"It's possible….but we drove all the way here so we might as well give it a few days. If nothing happens we'll just chalk it up to the girlfriend being hysterical after her boyfriend got lost."

"But if it turns out there is some kind of a creature out here let's hope a bullet will kill it."

"Well I brought silver bullets; silver kills a lot of creatures."

"Yeah but if it doesn't work we could be in a lot of trouble."

**The swamp**

The creature watched from deep in the swamp. As the boat neared, it lifted its head and sniffed the air. It had smelled that smell before, human flesh, and knew it had hunted and killed creatures like it before. Drool dripped from its mouth as it slipped under the water as the boat with its two passengers slowly drifted by.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again for the reviews.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter four

Once the boat had passed by the creature raised its head and watched. It was a creature of habit and knew what it would do. It would wait till dark and then slip into their camp. If there was only one human it would rip them apart then leave and come back in a few days to feed. If there were two in the camp it would temporarily blind the first one it ran into then attack the second. Why it did this, even it didn't know. If more then two were in the camp it would go into a rage and rip apart some then blind the others. It watched the boat for awhile then slowly sunk under the water and followed it.

**Two hours later**

They were just about to head back to the camp when Dean saw something floating in the water.

"Sam." He called down to his brother who was looking in the other direction. "Over there." He nodded his head toward the orange object.

Dean steered the boat toward the object while Sam hung over the edge waiting to grab it.

"Look out!" Dean yelled causing Sam to throw himself back into the boat. He looked up into the smiling face of Dean. "Gotcha." He said smiling.

"Bitch!" Sam said getting up.

"Hey, I owed you."

Sam once more leaned over the boat and reached out for what he could now tell was an orange shirt. He kept a wary eye on the water as did Dean, each one knowing at any moment an alligator could surface. Sam lifted the shirt out of the water and gave a little cry of surprise when a detached human arm slid out of the shirt and fell back into the water.

"Oh God." Sam said looking disgustingly at the arm that now floated in the water. Dean walked over to Sam and stood next to him.

"Well that explains what happened to one of the missing people."

"Yeah but it still doesn't explain what killed him. He could have wandered off into the swamp or…"

"Or something could have killed him and tossed him into the swamp when it was done with him."

Sam opened up the shirt and held it up. Four large claw marks could be seen on the back of it. He looked at Dean. "Look at the size of those marks. Something big killed him."

"Do you think we should take the arm with us and take it back to the ranger station for identification?" Just then a large jaw filled with sharp teeth popped out of the water and grabbed the arm then sunk below the water. "…or not?" Dean said as he stepped to the middle of the boat.

"Damn Dean did you see the size of that thing?"

"Yeah." Dean was still staring at the spot where the alligator disappeared.

"I wonder if one that big could sink this boat?"

"Well let's not find out." Dean got behind the wheel and pulled away.

**Campsite**

They searched the swamp for a few more hours but found nothing else. They then headed back to their campsite both exhausted from the heat.

"I don't know how long I'm going to last in this heat." Sam said as he took his shirt off and dipped it in water then squeezed the water out over his head. He then put the wet shirt on.

"Yeah I know what you mean. It's so humid it feels like the air's too thick to breathe." Dean looked over at Sam. "You hungry?"

"No." Between the heat and seeing the arm Sam had lost his appetite.

"Me either." Dean took a swig of water from his canteen and handed it to Sam who also gulped down the water.

**Later that night**

A heavy rainstorm past through the area during the night causing the bells that Dean had set up to ring throughout the night. They both took turns checking the site and resetting the bells which kept blowing down. It was Dean's turn and he reset the bells then checked the perimeter of the camp. He was just heading back to the tent when he heard a noise behind him and slowly turned. Standing directly behind him stood the nine foot creature which had crept into their camp while the bells were down and hid in the darkness. Dean started to reach for his gun which was tucked in his waistband.

"Sam!" He shouted to alert his brother but just as he raised his gun the creature opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of burning liquid into his eyes. He screamed in pain as he fell to his knees.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

I appreciate the reviews, thanks

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter five

Sam, hearing his brother's painful cry, jumped out of his sleeping bag, grabbed his gun, then ran outside. He glanced at Dean before firing at the creature which was standing above him. The thing screamed in rage as the bullet tore into its body. It hissed at Sam then turned and ran back into the swamp.

"Dean!" Sam cried out as he knelt next to his brother who had his hands up to his eyes. "Oh God….Let me see!" Sam said as he tried to remove Dean's hands from over his eyes.

"No…no it burns!" The pain was intense and Dean didn't want it to increase by removing his hands.

"Come on Dean I have to check it out." Sam pulled down Dean's hands and gently opened his eyes a little. "It will be okay…You're going to be okay." He tried to reassure his brother as he got up and ran into the tent and brought back the canteen of water. He tilted Dean's head back and poured the cooling water over his eyes, when they were fully flushed out he put the water down. "Better?"

Dean tried to open his eyes but even though the burning sensation had eased up a little it was still there and made it impossible to keep his eyes open. He sat on the ground taking deep breaths trying to stay calm. He was blind… He remembered the girl saying she had been blinded temporarily by the creature and prayed that was true with him, that it was only temporary and not permanent.

"Did you get him?" Dean said as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I shot him but he got away." Sam put his finger under Dean's chin and gently lifted his face. "Can you see anything at all?"

Dean opened his eyes a little but it was too painful to keep them open.

"No."

"Look …I'm going to get the boat ready and get you out of here and back to the ranger station. I'll only be gone a minute or two…" He squeezed Dean's shoulder as he stood up.

"Sam…be careful." Dean felt totally helpless; if that thing was still out there and Sam needed him he was useless.

"I'll be right back." Sam headed down to the boat which was in the same direction that the creature had run. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he neared the boat expecting the thing to come running out of the swamp at any second. He got in the boat and poured gas into the engine then tried to start it. There was only silence. He picked up a flashlight that was in the boat and shined it at the motor. The casing of the motor had been shattered damaging the motor inside, he knew there would be no leaving by boat. Sam swallowed hard as he got out of the boat knowing they were going to have to walk out of there. He walked back to Dean who tensed as he heard footsteps approach.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"You don't sound too happy, what's wrong."

"That thing damaged the motor; we aren't going anywhere unless we walk." Sam helped Dean up and back into the tent. "We'll have to wait till morning, there's no way we can walk out of here at night.."

"Sam it could take days to walk out of here."

"I know…" Sam helped Dean sit down then sat next to him. "Maybe we'll get lucky and one of the rangers that patrol this area will find us."

"Sam…when it gets light out I want you to head on out of here without me…"

"Hey wait a minute….!" Sam interrupted him.

"Shut up and listen to me….I can't see a damn thing and it will take you three times as long to get out of here dragging me with you."

"Dean I'm not leaving you."

"Damn it Sammy that thing is out there and you're going to get yourself killed dragging me with you!"

"You're going with me or I'm not going….Now just shut up and let me take a look at your eyes." Sam took a flashlight and looked at Dean's eyes then rinsed them out again. "Can you see anything yet?"

"No." Dean tried not to show how scared he really was. In truth the darkness terrified him. He couldn't even begin to imagine never being able to see again. He could only hope his sight would return and return soon.

Sam blinked back tears as he looked at his brother. Dean had protected him all his life and now he sat in front of him helpless, and as much as his brother tried to hide it, Sam could tell he was terrified. He moved over closer to Dean and put his arm over his shoulders protectively. Normally Dean would have pulled away, horrified at the show of affection, but his brother's touch gave him comfort and he didn't move.

"Do you think it will come back?" Sam asked looking down at his gun.

"I'm sure of it."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the kind reviews. I hope you like the rest of it.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter six

**The next morning**

Neither of them got any sleep as they listened to the rain on the tent and for the creature to return. Dean kept remembering Sam's words when he had read the paper about the girl's statement. She had been temporarily blinded and had listened to her boyfriend being ripped to shreds. The thing hadn't hurt her but had killed her boyfriend. Was the thing going to come back for Sam? Would he be forced to hear his brother being attacked and not be able to do anything to help him?

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked seeing the worried look on Dean's face.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Well it sure doesn't look like you're thinking about nothing. What's up Dean, what are you thinking about?" Sam stood up and walked over to the tent flap and looked out. "If you're worried about that thing…don't. We're going to get out of this…I'm going to get you out of this."

"Sam you're an idiot if you think you can drag a blind man around this swamp. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Is that what has you worried? Well I'm not leaving you here, no way. So just shut up and let's get going." Sam helped Dean up and they both went outside. "Okay, I know this is going to be tough but we're going to do it." He took some canteens of water and grabbed a few supplies and put them in his backpack. He then got a rope and tied it around Dean's waist and left a few feet then tied it around his own. "Okay now just follow my lead."

Dean reached out and touched Sam's pack and could tell it was heavy.

"Sam I'm blind, I'm not a cripple. I can carry some of the supplies."

"I got it don't worry about it…just follow me. If you need to rest say it, otherwise we keep going. I'm thinking it should take us about two or three days to hike out of here." He took one of the guns and tucked it in Dean's waistband. "Just in case." He then took the other gun and tucked it in his own waistband.

**Four hours later**

They were both totally exhausted from hiking through the swamp and tried to stay on dry land as much as they could but it was impossible. They sank up to their thighs in mud as they walked and it took all their strength to pull themselves out. Finally Sam found a small island and stopped to rest. He climbed up on the island and pulled Dean up after him. They both lay on their backs trying to catch their breaths and to rest. After a few minutes Sam took one of the canteens out of his bag and handed it to Dean who took a couple of swallows and handed it back to Sam, who took a swallow.

"I better wash your eyes out again."

"We should save the water Sam once it's gone that's it."

Sam knew Dean was right. Once the water was gone they had no idea where they could find clean water. Water was all around them but they knew drinking the swamp water would only make them sick. But Sam wanted to make sure he had flushed out all the liquid that the creature had squirted into Dean's eyes.

"We have enough, now just lay back." Sam said then gently opened Dean's eyes and poured the water over them. When he was satisfied that he had rinsed them out thoroughly he once more lay back on the ground. He had started to feel dizzy and could tell the heat was getting to him, he knew Dean was probably feeling the same way.

"We need to get to some shade." Sam said as he slowly got up and lead Dean over to the only patch of shade on the island.

"You okay?" Sam asked as he lay back down.

"Yeah…How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay…We might as well rest a little ….I didn't realize it was going to be this hard." Sam shut his eyes waiting for his heart to stop pounding from the effort of walking through the thick swamp mud. When he opened them the creature was standing over him.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Once more thanks for the reviews. I'll continue this on Thursday, I have an all day meeting tomorrow and won't be near a computer.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter seven

Sam's eyes widened as he crawled backwards trying to draw the creature away from his brother. He only had a second to wonder how it had managed to get this close without them hearing it. But between the sounds of the swamp and birds screeching he could understand. It was on him before he could even shout a warning to his brother. The thing reached down, grabbed his shirt and violently pulled him up. Sam tried to fight it but the creature was way too strong for him. He tried to reach for his gun but every time he'd reach for it the creature would swat his arm away. He threw his head back and screamed in agony as the creature began slicing him with its long claws.

"Sam!" Dean screamed his worse nightmare had come true. His brother was being killed in front of him and there was nothing he could do. "Sammy!" He could hear Sam trying to fight the thing but he could also hear the painful cries of his brother as the creature attacked him. Dean reached for his own gun but knew he couldn't shoot without taking the chance of hitting Sam. He kept pointing the gun toward the sound of the fight hoping to hear Sam yell that he was in the clear and that he could shoot. He frantically rubbed at his eyes hoping at least some of his sight might have returned. Everything was still dark but he could now at least see blurry shapes of gray moving in front of him but couldn't make out what or who they were. He heard a gunshot, then a splashing sound, then complete silence. The silence terrified him.

"Sammy!" Dean was on his hands and knees feeling around the ground frantically trying to find his brother. "Sammy!" His heart was pounding in his chest, maybe the thing had dragged Sam into the swamp with it, maybe his brother was dead. Then his hand landed in a sticky liquid and he knew immediately it was Sam's blood. "Oh God Sammy where are you?" A low groan caused him to turn to his left. His hand finally landed on Sam's leg. "Sam! Sammy!" Dean shouted as he felt his way up to Sam's chest. He could feel his ripped clothes saturated in blood. He pulled his brother into his arms as his eyes filled up with tears. "It's alright Sammy….I gotcha now…it'll be okay…." He kept repeating trying to comfort his brother who lay limp in his arms.

Dean had no idea how bad Sam had been hurt but could tell he was covered in blood. He felt around the ground and found one of the canteens. He then poured the water over Sam's face as he gently tried to wipe the blood away. Sam groaned softly as the water revived him.

"Here Sam take a sip." Dean held the canteen up to Sam's mouth. He took a sip but then moaned and weakly pushed the water away.

Dean could feel Sam's head start to roll to the side as he began to pass out.

"Come on Sammy, you got to stay with me. You got to tell me how bad you're hurt." Dean poured more water over Sam's face. "Come on buddy wake up."

Sam groaned then opened his eyes.

"Dean?"

"Yeah Sammy…."

"Oh God Dean it hurts….it hurts…."

Tears ran down Dean's face, he never felt so helpless in all of his life.

"Where Sammy?... Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere…"

"Did you shoot it?...Is it dead?"

"I don't know…I'm not sure if I hit it…"

Dean could feel blood bubbling out of Sam's chest and he kept his hands pressed hard on the wound hoping to stop the flow.

"Sam, you're bleeding bad…I got to find the first aide kit. Can you see where it is?"

Dean could tell that Sam's backpack had been ripped from him and the contents were now scattered around the area.

Sam only moaned in reply.

"Sammy you got to stay awake, you got to tell me if you can see where the first aide kit is!" Dean gently shook his brother as he tried to keep him awake.

"Over…over to the left….about 15 feet."

Dean felt around on the ground till he found the kit, then crawled back to Sam. He gently took Sam's shredded shirt off and cleaned his chest with water and a gauze pad. Then he took antibiotic cream and smeared the cream over the cuts. He then wrapped Sam's chest with the gauze, wrapping it tight to try and stop the blood flow. He did the same to the cuts on his arm and legs. He then sat down next to Sam and pulled him into his arms. His brother had passed out again but at least he was alive. Dean held Sam close, scared that if he left go of him he might lose him forever. He knew if the thing came back more then likely they would both die. He kept one arm wrapped around Sam and the other holding his gun out in front of him. If the thing came back to finish the job Dean would do everything possible to stop it. He knew in his heart that he'd rather die with Sam then have his brother be slaughtered in front of him. He couldn't live with that. He always knew one day he might have to sacrifice his own life in order to protect his little brother and today might be that day.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

I appreciate the reviews and love reading them. Thanks.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter eight

Dean held Sam tight in his arms as if that could protect him from the creature He knew of other creatures who would injure their prey then come back in a few hours or even days later to finish them off. And if the creature came back for Sam there was little he could do to protect him. He pulled him even closer alert to every noise. He didn't even try to wake Sam up, figuring if the creature came back he'd rather his brother be unconscious and unaware of what was about to happen to them. An hour later when Sam began to moan Dean smoothed back his hair soothingly the way his mom used to do to him. Sam's eyes suddenly flew open and he began to fight with Dean thinking he was still fighting the creature.

"Sam no…no…it's me!" Dean said as he tried to hold his brother's arms down.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Oh man…"Sam moaned as he leaned back into his brother's embrace. "Are you okay?" He looked up at Dean.

"I'm fine, it didn't go after me."

"What the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you'd tell me." Dean had only caught a quick glimpse of it before it had blinded him.

"It looked like a cross between an alligator and a man, and stood upright…maybe nine feet tall." Sam hissed in his breath as a sharp pain shot through him. "The son of a bitch got me pretty good huh?" He said as he looked down at his chest where blood was soaking through his bandages. "Thanks for patching me up." He said noticing his arms and legs were also bandaged.

"No problem."

"I look like a mummy." Sam gave a little laugh but then began coughing as he began to spit up blood.

"Hey, I did the best I could under the circumstances."

Sam wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand glad that Dean didn't know that he might be bleeding internally. He knew Dean's big brother mode would kick in and there was nothing Dean could for him anyway so why worry him.

"Any sight coming back yet?" Sam asked hopefully. He knew if Dean was still blind they were both as good as dead.

"No….not really." Dean once more rubbed at his eyes but could still only see faint shadows.

"I got to get you out of here." Sam tried to stand but couldn't catch his breath and ended up collapsing next to Dean.

"Sam!" Dean cried out as he heard Sam go down. He groped around on the ground till he found him. "Sammy!...Damn it Sammy answer me!"

"I'm…I'm okay."

"How bad did that thing hurt you Sam?"

"Not bad…" Sam lied as he lay on his back trying to get a decent breath.

"Damn it Sammy tell me the truth…How bad are you hurt?"

"Hey don't get all bent out of shape…I just need to rest a little and I'll be fine."

"Sam I'm blind, not stupid…something's wrong. That bastard hurt you worse then you're letting on… didn't it?"

"Dean…"

"Sam I don't want to hear no bullshit from you."

"Okay Dean what do you want me to say…. that I'm hurting? Yeah, I'm hurting, but so are you. And I got to find some way to get you out of here before that thing comes back."

"Whoa…hold on a minute. What do you mean you got to get _me_ out of here, what about you?" When Sam didn't answer him he added. "I asked you a question Sam."

"Dean we both know that thing is going to come back to finish the job. I'm not letting it get both of us."

"Well if you think I'm leaving you here to fight that thing alone you can just forget it."

"Dean what are you going to do? You can't see, and that thing will rip you apart and you won't even know what direction it's coming from."

"I'm not leaving you Sam."

"You're not going to have a choice…I'm getting you off this island." Sam started to get up and reached over to grab Dean's arm but when Dean pulled back Sam cried out in pain and fell to his knees. He knelt there grimacing in pain.

"Damn it Sammy." He knelt next to him, he hadn't meant to hurt his brother by pulling his arm away. "I'm sorry Sam, but I'm not letting you dump me some where safe and then listen while that thing comes back to finish you off." He put his hand out and touched Sam's face when he didn't answer him. He felt something sticky and pulled his hand away rubbing the liquid between his fingers and could tell it was fresh blood. "Sam…." He reached out and put his hands on Sam's shoulders. "Damn it Sammy why didn't you tell me you were bleeding again?"

Sam tried to answer him but he was using all his strength just to stay conscious. Finally he couldn't fight it any longer and gave into the darkness.

"Sammy!" Dean shouted when he felt his brother collapse next to him.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Once more thanks for the reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter nine

There was nothing Dean could do but pull Sam into his arms and wait for him to wake up. An hour later he began to moan.

"Oh man…" Sam moaned as he opened his eyes.

"Damn it Sammy why didn't you tell me you were hurt this bad?"

Sam lay on his back waiting for the pain to ease before answering.

"Nothing you can do Dean…I figured why worry you."

Dean groped around on the ground in front of them till he found one of the canteens.

"Here, drink some of this." He held the canteen out for Sam. It had to be over one hundred degrees with the humidity making it seem a lot higher. Sam weakly pushed the canteen away.

"Use it …use it for your eyes…don't waste it on me." Sam felt lousy and knew if the creature didn't come back and kill him, his injuries might.

"What do you mean don't waste it on you?"

"Save it for yourself…I won't be needing it."

"What's that suppose to mean? And I don't want to hear any bullshit about you dying. We've been in tougher spots then this before and we're going to make it through this too."

Sam gave a little laugh then immediately regretted it as he once more coughed up blood.

"Always the optimist." He finally managed to get out.

"Hey someone has to be."

"Dean….we got to face reality. I'm busted up inside and that thing is going to come back looking to finish me off, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I don't think I can even hold a gun…I think I broke my wrist and my other hand is pretty tore up. But you… as long as you're not with me you might stand a chance. That girl that was blinded by that thing said in a few days she could see again. Well hopefully in a day or so you should be able to see and you'll be able to make your way out of here."

"Oh, so I'm suppose to go hide somewhere and listen while that thing rips you to shreds? No way Sam, ain't happening."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I want you to do Dean."

"That's bullshit Sammy and you know it! You expect me to sit back while that thing kills you?"

"Damn it Dean yes, that's what I want you to do. If you're anywhere near me that thing might kill you too…You don't have to die Dean…I don't want you to die."

"But I'm suppose to let you die and not try to stop it?"

"How can you stop it? You can't see…you're defenseless against it."

Dean held up his gun.

"I have this."

"And how are you going to shoot it when you can't even see where it's at?"

"You'll tell me."

"What?"

"You know …ten feet in front, two feet to the left….We've done it before Sam…All you got to do is give me directions."

"What if it doesn't work? What if you just wound it? Or you could end up shooting me did you ever think of that?"

"Well…" Dean smiled. "If I shoot you, you won't have to worry about becoming that things next meal."

"Well I guess that's true." Sam smiled back. "Look Dean…I just don't want us both to die."

"I understand that Sam but I'm not going to let that thing get to you without a fight…no way."

"Always the big brother…" Sam shook his head as he gave a small smile.

"What?"

"You know Dean…you're my big brother and all…and I love ya, but I'm not a kid anymore. You don't have to spend your life protecting me."

"But that's what I do…. And if I must say so myself I'm damn good at it."

"Yeah…yeah you are." Sam gave a little laugh remembering all the times his brother had saved him from certain death, but then he winced in pain as his ribs protested the movement.

Dean could feel Sam's body tense with pain.

"You alright?" Dean reached down and put his hand on Sam's chest. "Sam you okay?" He gently shook his brother as he felt himself start to panic. If Sam had passed out there was no way he'd be able to help him. He had to keep his brother awake in order for him to be able to direct him where to shoot if the thing showed up. "Sammy?" Dean shook Sam's shoulder gently.

"I'm okay." Sam said weakly.

"Damn it Sammy you got to stay with me. If you pass out and that thing comes…"

"If that happens I want you to get as far away from me as you can. You got to promise me that Dean."

"Sam…."

"Promise me Dean." Sam wasn't going to listen to any arguments.

"Okay Sam…you win. If you pass out you're on your own."

Dean could feel Sam relax in his arms grateful that Dean agreed. But Dean knew he was lying. There was no way he was going to leave his brother; he'd die with him if he couldn't save him. And then he heard it, a low growl and water splashing as something crawled up on the beach.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, thanks a lot for the kind reviews. You guys really make me laugh with the different comments. I hope you like the rest of the story.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter ten

"Where is it?" Dean whispered as he pulled Sam closer to him and held the gun out in front of them.

"It's not him Dean….It's just a small gator." Sam weakly picked up a rock lying nearby and tossed it at the alligator which turned and slid back into the slimy water. "Hey will you loosen up a little you're squeezing me to death." Sam said as he tried to remove his brother's arms from around his chest.

Dean released his hold on his brother.

"Sorry."

Sam gave a little laugh.

"Boy we must look pretty pathetic….You can't see so I should be protecting you, not you protecting me."

Dean smiled trying to hide his fear. What if it had been that thing? What if it had grabbed Sam and there was nothing he could do but listen to his brother cry out for him as it tore him apart? He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened him instead of blackness it looked as if he was underwater, everything was glassy and blurry. He looked around hoping to be able to make out shapes but all he could still see were different shades of grey, better then what he could see before, but still not enough to be of much help to Sam.

"You okay?" Sam asked seeing his brother look around. "Is your sight coming back?"

"No, not really. It's a little better but…"

"But not in time huh?"

"I don't know Sam…Hey maybe you killed it when you shot at it."

"But I don't even know if I hit it, I thought I did but…"

"Well, maybe you did and it crawled off somewhere and died."

"I don't think so Dean…My hand was screwed up and I could barely pull the trigger, I didn't have time to aim, I just shot." Sam carefully pulled himself out of Dean's arms. "Dean I'm feeling a little better and I think we need to get off this island and find another one. It knows where we are and it'll be back."

"How are we going to do that? You're hurt, you're not going to be able to walk through this muck and I can't see, I can't even help you."

"Yes you can. If I can just lean on you I can tell you which way to head."

Dean knew Sam was right, it would be slow going but it was better then doing nothing.

"Okay…maybe you're right; it beats hanging around here waiting for that thing to come back. Who knows, maybe a ranger might even come by and we can hitch a ride with him."

Dean stood up then pulled Sam up. At first Sam swayed a little and fell against Dean but finally he was able to stand on his own. He put his arm over his brother's shoulder.

"If I get too heavy let me know and we'll rest….Okay just start walking straight ahead…In about twenty feet or so we'll reach the edge of the swamp."

They reached the swamp then stepped into the slimy water and with Sam's directions Dean lead them out into the murky water. Dean took a couple of deep breaths trying to stay calm. A few days ago he never would have believed he'd be blind and in the middle of an alligator invested swamp with his badly injured brother. Even as scared as he was, he was terrified that if the thing attacked he wouldn't be able to protect Sam, and to him that was all that mattered.

**Later**

The going was extremely slow. Occasionally Dean would step into a deep pocket of water and they would have to swim till they reached an area where they could walk, but most of the time they were up to their knees in mud. Dean could hear Sam's ragged breathing and stopped often to let him rest. Even though Sam was in agony he was determined to get his brother to the safety of another island or die trying.

"Sam we've been going for at least two hours, you got to get some rest." Dean said as he felt Sam legs begin to give out.

"No…I got to get you out of here." Sam felt like he was about to pass out but he fought with every ounce of strength he had not to. If he did who would get Dean to safety?

"So that's what this is about? You getting me out of here? I think you got that wrong buddy, we're getting out of here together or we're not getting out at all."

"Dean…"

"I don't want to hear it Sammy."

"We both don't have to die Dean."

"Who said anything about one of us dying? No one is dying today Sam, not you, not me. If anyone's going to die it's that thing out there."

It was then Sam saw the island off in the distance. Once they got there he'd get Dean to high dry ground then leave him, it might be the only way to save his life. Hopefully the creature would follow his scent back into the swamp and leave Dean alone. In a day or two Dean's eyes should clear up and he could make his way out of the swamp without having the burden of dragging him with him. He knew Dean would be pissed off at him but he figured he wouldn't be around to have to listen to him.

TBC 


	11. Chapter 11

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter eleven

"There's an island straight ahead, it'll take about an hour or so to get there. We can stay there for the night."

Dean was glad Sam finally decided to stop, not for his sake but for Sam's. He could feel his brother growing weaker by the minute. He should be in a hospital not out in a dirty swamp slowly bleeding to death. Dean squeezed his eyes shut then slowly opened them. Things were slowly getting lighter but all he could see were blurry shapes, nothing clear. Maybe by tomorrow he'd have enough of his sight back, then if Sam passed out he'd be able to carry him if he had to. He knew it would be a struggle to carry him through the thick swamp but he'd do it. In a few days they'd both look back at this and laugh about what a pathetic sight they must have made Dean thought smiling to himself.

"Glad you found something to smile about." Sam said looking at his brother.

"Just thinking what we must look like."

Sam gave a little laugh.

"Yeah…some hunters aren't we? It's good Dad can't see us."

"Hey, it's just a little reversal of roles right now but just wait…that thing doesn't know who he's dealing with."

"Yeah, I bet we got him shaking in his boots."

"If he isn't now… he will be."

An hour and a half later they finally made their way up and onto the island each collapsing from exhaustion.

**Later that evening**

Neither one was aware of how long they slept but Dean woke and immediately felt around till he found Sam's body. He put his hand on his brother's chest and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the steady rise and fall of his chest. But the sound of his breathing had him worried. There was a rattling in Sam's chest each time he took a breath and Dean knew his brother could either have a punctured lung or a bad infection. He took a swig of water then settled down next to Sam and once more drifted off to sleep.

**Later **

Sam moaned softly as he woke up. He looked around the small island and knew he had to get his brother up to the highest point before leaving him. He prayed he was doing the right thing. It would hurt him to leave Dean alone on the island but if he stayed with him he could end up bringing the creature to him. The only way to save his brother would be to leave him.

"Dean." He said softly shaking Dean's shoulder.

Dean quickly sat up.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Easy, everything's okay. I just thought we better move away from the water as much as we can. There's a little hill further back on the island, we can stay there for the night."

Sam guided Dean to what he thought would be the safest part of the island. An old rotten boat lay on the small hill which he figured must have been grounded years ago. It would at least provide his brother a little shade and protection till his sight came back.

**Later**

Once they were settled in for the night Sam lay awake till he heard Dean breathing deeply and hoped he had fallen asleep. He laid the canteen of water next to Dean and blinked back tears as he stood up knowing he would never see his brother again.

"Take care Bro." He said softly as he began to walk away.

He had only gone a short distance when he heard Dean call out to him.

"Sam….Sammy!" Dean had woken up and began to panic when he discovered Sam wasn't lying next to him.

Sam watched as his brother felt around on the ground trying to find him. He didn't know whether to answer him or not but when Dean stood up and tried to walk Sam knew he had to.

"Dean stay where you are." He knew if Dean walked away from the relative safety of the boat he might not be able to find his way back.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"Dean….I'm sorry it's the only way."

"What the hell are you talking about? What the hell are you doing Sam?"

"Dean if I stay here we could both die. I didn't tell you before but…I think that thing was tracking us. It's coming for me Dean, not you. By tomorrow you should be able to see enough to be able to find your way out of here."

"Damn it Sammy you get back here! I am so going to kick your ass when I get hold of you!"

Sam swallowed hard as he heard Dean's voice crack with emotion as he spoke.

"I'm sorry Dean, I can't." Sam turned and blinked back tears as he headed back toward the swamp.

"Sam!" Dean screamed knowing Sam was about to sacrifice himself to try and save him. "Sammy!"

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter twelve

"You get back here Sammy!" Dean's heart pounded as he rubbed at his eyes hoping some of his sight had come back, but even though his eyes were a little better everything was still blurry. "Damn it Sammy get back here!" Dean was starting to get frantic and started trying to walk in the direction he thought Sam had gone but tripped and fell, he quickly stood up. "Sammy! Damn it Sammy answer me!"

Sam had turned and looked back at his brother just as he fell. Tears ran down his face as he fought the urge to go to back to him but he knew he had to leave him in order to save him. He watched as Dean once more started to walk.

"Damn it Dean don't try to follow me! You got to stay there; you'll be okay if you just stay there!"

"Sammy I'm going to so kick your ass when I get hold of you!"

Sam turned to head back to the swamp but froze when he saw the creature had silently crawled out of the swamp and was standing a few yards away.

"Oh God…" He said as he shut his eyes waiting for the thing to attack. He knew it was useless to try and fight it he was way too weak. "Dean stay back!" He shouted a warning to his brother as he said a silent prayer that once it was done with him it wouldn't go after Dean.

Dean could tell something was wrong as he pulled his gun out and headed toward Sam's voice.

"Sammy where is it?" He could tell from Sam's voice that the creature was nearby.

"No Dean stay back! Don't come any closer!"

"Damn it Sammy where is it?"

Dean continued toward his brother's voice, there was no way he was going to let his brother sacrifice his life for him without putting up a fight.

When the creature attacked it was quick. It rushed toward Sam and sent him flying through the air when it hit him. He grunted in pain when he hit the ground hard.

"Sam!" Dean screamed hearing Sam cry out. He knew Sam was already in bad shape and this attack would kill him.

"No Dean! Stay back!" Sam weakly cried out as the creature started heading toward him. He put his hands up defensively as the thing stood over him.

Dean listened in horror as the thing began snarling at his brother preparing to attack.

"Sammy where is it?... Damn it Sammy tell me where it is!"

Sam looked over at his brother and knew he was now too close to be safe and that the creature would probably attack Dean as soon as it was finished with him. Their only hope was if Dean could shoot it.

"Turn left to ten o'clock and then thirty feet straight ahead."

Dean fired one shot into the air hoping to turn the thing away from Sam. It worked the creature turned and looked at Dean as if deciding who to attack first him or Sam. It decided to go for him.

"Dean it's coming for you straight ahead! Twenty five feet…twenty feet…fifteen…" Sam called off the distance as he painfully got to his feet. "Shoot Dean, shoot!"

Dean unloaded his bullets into the creature praying he would hit something vital.

"Get out of there!" Sam shouted to Dean when it appeared that the bullets didn't have any effect on it. He started limping toward the creature trying to give his brother a chance to get away. "Come get _me_ you bastard!" He shouted at it.

The creature turned and started toward him.

"Noooo!" Dean screamed, he squinted and could barely make out the creature as it turned and headed back toward Sam. There were no bullets left in his gun and now no way to defend his brother. "Sammy!" He cried out as he heard Sam grunt in pain as the creature knocked him down. Then there was dead silence. "Sammy!" He started walking slowly in the direction he thought Sam was. He rubbed at his eyes and could make out a large mass directly in front of him. When he got to it he reached down and could feel the creature's scaly body. It wasn't moving. "Sam! Sam where are you?" He started to panic when Sam didn't answer him. "Sammy!" He finally heard a low moan and made his way toward it. "Sam?"

"Winchesters one, swamp thing zero." Sam managed to get out as he lay on his back trying to catch his breath.

Dean smiled, thankful that Sam was still alive.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…you?"

"Yeah." Dean walked toward Sam's voice then lay down next to him. "Is it dead?"

Sam rolled his head to the side and looked at the creature which lay only a few yards away.

"I think so….Boy is that thing ugly."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, it looks sort of like a giant human covered in scales."

"I wonder where it came from."

"I don't know but I hope it's the only one."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review throughout this story. I appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope no one is disappointed with the ending.

**Swamp Creature**

Chapter thirteen

**Later**

They waited till Sam regained a little of his strength then headed back up to the old boat and lay in the shade of it. They decided to rest and head out tomorrow when hopefully Dean would have most if not all of his full sight back.

**The next morning**

Dean woke first and slowly opened his eyes. He could see, not perfect but he could see. At least now he'd be able to help his brother find the way out. He looked over at Sam who was shivering even in the oppressive heat and knew Sam was growing weaker by the minute. If they didn't get out today his brother might not make it out at all. Dean stood up and looked around trying to figure out which way to go. Then his eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open, the creature was gone.

"It can't be alive." Dean said softly to himself.

Sam heard him and began to groan as he woke up.

"What's wrong?" He said looking up at Dean.

"It's gone."

"What?" Sam slowly stood up and looked over to where the creature had fallen. "That thing can't be alive. It wasn't breathing, it had to be dead."

"Well maybe an alligator came up during the night and pulled it back into the swamp."

"Yeah, that's what must have happened." Sam said glancing at Dean. "You really believe that?"

"I will if you will." Dean looked up and down the small island hoping to spot the body of the creature but it was no where in sight. "Well we can't worry about it right now, our main concern is getting the hell out of here today."

"You can see?"

"Yeah, just a little blurry but I can see well enough to get us out of here."

Sam looked out over the swamp then swayed a little when the heat and his injuries started to get to him. Dean quickly caught him as he started to collapse and lowered him back to the ground.

"Sammy…you okay?" Dean asked as he cradled him in his arms. He grabbed the canteen and helped Sam drink some of the water. "Sammy?"

"Dean…I'm sorry…."

"For what?"

"I can't make it…You got to go…maybe you can find help and bring it back…"

"I'm not leaving you here Sam, if that thing is still alive it could come back anytime."

"Well what are you going to do, carry me?" Sam knew it would be impossible for Dean to carry him through the thick swamp.

"If I have to, yeah."

"Dean you'd never make it and you know it."

"Well then you better get your ass up and moving because I'm not going without you."

Sam took a couple of deep breaths then with Dean's help slowly stood up. Dean put Sam's arm over his shoulder, he knew without his help Sam wouldn't be going anywhere.

"Dean…" Sam knew Dean was going to wear himself out trying to help him out of the swamp. "This isn't going to work."

"I don't want to hear it Sam. We got to get moving."

Dean slowly lead Sam into the swamp.

**Later**

Within half an hour Sam had collapsed against his brother unable to continue. But Dean wasn't about to give up, he knew if they didn't get out today Sam could die. He kept Sam's arm over his shoulder and grabbed his hand then grabbed the back of his shirt with the other hand and dragged his brother next to him. As he struggled through the swamp he kept glancing over his shoulder. He was certain something was following them. Whether it was the creature or just his imagination he wasn't sure.

"Leave me Dean…please ….you got to leave me…" Sam moaned in his rare moments of consciousness. He could hear Dean's labored breathing and knew he was about ready to collapse from exhaustion. He knew Dean's only chance of making it through the swamp was if he left him behind, but he knew his brother and knew that wouldn't be an option with him. Dean didn't answer him; he needed all his energy just to stay upright and walking.

Dean was just about ready to collapse when he saw something move off to his left. An airboat was cutting its way through the swamp with two rangers on board.

"Hey!" Dean let go of Sam's arm and weakly raised his hand. Sam's arm slid off Dean's shoulder and his body began to slide into the swamp. Dean quickly pulled him back up. "Hey! Over here!" He shouted again. He knew they couldn't see him; he had to get out in the open. He knew he had no choice. He gently lay Sam on his back in the swamp hoping his body would float long enough for him to make his way out to a clearing in the swamp. "Hey! We need help over here!" He shouted again raising both arms above his head. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the boat turn in his direction. He quickly turned and made his way back to where he had left his brother. He was gone.

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean started to panic as he felt under the water. Had something gotten his brother or had he sunk in the deep muck. "Sammy!" Dean screamed as tears filled his eyes. "Oh God Sammy where the hell are you?" He couldn't believe they had come this far and now that help had finally arrived he might have lost his brother.

Finally Dean could feel an arm under the murky water and pulled Sam's body out of the swamp. He cradled him the best he could as he wiped the mud off of Sam's face.

"Sammy?" He called to Sam as he patted his face. When Sam didn't respond he lowered his ear to Sam's mouth and could tell he wasn't breathing. He quickly tilted Sam's head back and breathed two quick breaths into his mouth. "Come on Sammy…breathe!" He shouted as he gave two more quick breaths. "Sammy damn it don't do this to me!" Tears now flowed freely down Dean's face, if Sam didn't make it he didn't want to either.

"Here let us have him." The rangers pulled their boat next to Dean and pulled Sam on board. They put him down flat in the boat and began CPR, one breathing for him while the other pressed on his chest. Within a minute they had him coughing up water. Dean shut his eyes and said a silent prayer as the rangers pulled him into the boat and next to his brother.

"What the hell happened to you two?" One of the rangers asked as he turned the boat around and headed back to the station.

"My brother was attacked by an alligator, it tore apart our boat and we had to hike out of there." Dean lied knowing they wouldn't believe the truth.

"You know you two are lucky. People get mixed up in the swamp and some never find their way out."

"How's my brother?" Dean asked the other ranger who was kneeling by Sam trying to do what he could for him.

"He has a fever and is probably dehydrated, but he's breathing on his own and his heart beat is strong. I think once we get him some medical attention he should be okay." The ranger pulled Sam's bandage aside and examined the deep cuts across his stomach and chest. "Boy this kid's lucky. That thing really tore into him." The ranger looked over at Dean. "You hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Dean said as he sat next to Sam cradling his brother's head. Dean turned and glanced back at the area they had just been pulled from and watched as something large moved just below the surface. Had Sam sunk under the water or had something pulled him down to finish the job? Dean knew he probably would never know.

**The hospital, four days later**

Sam sat propped up in bed while Dean sat in a chair next to him and fiddled around with his IV tube.

"Doc said I could go home tomorrow. The infection's cleared up and everything looks fine."

"That's good." Dean didn't look up but continued looking at the tube.

"Something wrong?" Sam could tell Dean's mind was a million miles away.

"No, nothing."

"Hey, I can tell something crawled up your skirt, what is it?"

"I think that thing might still be out there Sam. I think I only wounded it."

"We don't know that for sure. Something could have pulled its body back into the swamp, you said so yourself." Sam didn't even want to think about having to head back into the swamp, the heat alone was enough to kill you.

"I guess all we can do is hope it's dead and that there was only one of them." Dean could tell Sam didn't want to think otherwise, and neither did he. "I did unload my gun into it. Nothing could survive that."

When Sam didn't say anything he looked to where Sam was looking. The TV set was tuned to a news station but the volume was turned down. The picture was of the Everglades a caption at the bottom of the screen read. _Two people found dead in the_ _Everglades_. Dean reached over and turned up the volume.

_A male and a female body were discovered this afternoon at a popular camping site in the Everglades National Park. Both bodies appeared to have been attacked by a large alligator. A park ranger was quoted as saying that the alligator must have been immense due to the large_ _footprints found at the scene. We will keep you updated on this story when more information becomes available._

Dean looked over at Sam.

"It could just be an alligator Sam. That thing couldn't possibly still be alive." He told his brother hoping it was true.

"I wouldn't think so…but what if it is? What if it's still out there Dean?"

Dean looked back at the TV. The thing had almost killed his brother and he knew if it was still out there one day they'd have to return to finish the job. But right now his only concern was that Sam get well, and that they got out of the hospital before they checked on their insurance. Once they were safely in a motel room far from here, then they'd sit down and talk about returning to make sure the thing was dead. Right now he was content to just sit back and be thankful that they both made it out alive.

The End


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